Information freedom offers society numerous new possibilities and opportunities, for example in crime detection through big data, or in accessing medical information for use in research. On the other hand, information freedom also raises numerous new questions: who has access to which data and who manages it? Who owns the stored data? How can we prevent misuse? Can we guarantee privacy through legal instruments or technological interventions? Moreover, in this digital age, information use and management are cross-border phenomena, leading to the question of who should regulate use and who has jurisdiction in case of misuse.
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This question is about understanding the delicate balance between the social and economic opportunities that information freedom can offer on the one hand, and protecting privacy on the other. Applied research can focus on designing innovative technology or legal and policy instruments that promote access to data while offering protection to the owners of this data. This is of social and scientific importance if, for example, it enables greater access to medical data. Given the international nature of digital information, and the data position of companies, the question arises to what extent we can actually regulate information flows. Basic legal research can focus on boundaries of international and national law, such as the scope of the right to privacy. Sociological and psychological research can provide insights into the changing meaning of privacy in this era of big data. To what extent do we want or need to protect the right to privacy? These questions require a joint effort of disciplines within the social sciences, law and computer science in the field of privacy protection and information freedom.
